


A summer in Storybrooke

by RipperBlackstaff



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Rumbelle Christmas in July, Rumbelle Christmas in July 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2018-07-22
Packaged: 2019-06-14 17:54:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15394212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RipperBlackstaff/pseuds/RipperBlackstaff
Summary: Belle and Gold meet one summer in Storybrooke. They only have two months to live out whatever there is between them before going back to their regular life.The prompt was : Stay longer with me





	A summer in Storybrooke

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ifishouldvanish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifishouldvanish/gifts).



End of August.

Belle French rubbed a tired hand down her face. Her lover had exhausted her. For a man his age, Mr. Gold did have a stamina that was out of this world. He was sleeping soundly now, unlike her. 

The moon was shining through the windows, pale and silvery, giving the cabin bedroom a eery look. Their clothes thrown over the floor, his fallen tie entwined to her bra, the shadow of a hickey on her thigh... Everything told her about a scorching passion that hurt and pleasured. For sure, she had been pleasured beyond measure in his arms and she knew she was about to hurt and get hurt. 

She got up, standing over him. He was 20 years older than her, and had the body befitting his age, wrinkles, a little pot belly, but there was something about him that made her thirsty. The way he moved, the way he talked, the way his hair brushed his shoulders... She could envision herself settling between his legs, lifting them over her shoulders to nibble on his thighs and suck him dry. Warmth spread through her belly at the mere thought, and she was certain he would welcome it, but there was no use using him some more. At dawn, she would leave him behind. 

Belle sighed, and went to the window. The lake was peaceful. Tiny waves rippled on the shores. They had bathed on a sunny day, she remembered. He had been relaxed, not like the day she had met him.

***

Early July.

The Storybrooke clock tower rang 10am when Belle French came into the pawnbroker's shop. According to her best friend Ruby, this man was the man to talk to when it came to renting in this town. 

The whole thing had been Ruby's idea too. A retreat between girls in her hometown. Merida and Mulan were due soon. They had all met in college in Boston before life had sent them on their merry way. Merida had gone back to Europe, Ruby had gone back to Storybrooke to help her grand mother whose health had been failing, Mulan had moved to New York and Belle had stayed in Boston to work at the uni library. 

Skype and Messenger had helped them all to keep in touch, but it was the first time they would meet after they left college one year ago. Belle looked forward to it. 

The whole idea was to rent a cottage near the beach and spend the summer between girls. Thankfully the uni was shut down for the summer. 

Ruby had insisted on her not being the one asking Mr. Gold to rent the cottage near the beach, explaining it as him "not liking her much." Belle didn't ask her why since a landlord would be happy to rent an unused cottage for the holidays to 4 paying tenants.  
A bell rang when she opened the door.  
The shop was empty and full of knick knacks, and Belle was immediately taken with it. The shop was both a pawnbroker and a antique shop, so it was full of old items. The scent, wax and encense, charmed her. 

it didn't prepare her for the sight of the owner himself. A man in his late fourties, with a cane, in a complete suit which made him utterly overdressed but elegant, came out of the back through a curtain. Mr. Gold himself.

"Good morning, Miss..." he greeted her with a upward tilt to ask for her name.  
"Hello Mr. Gold," she replied. "I am Belle French and I wish to rent your cottage by the sea."

He looked puzzled.  
"Alright... Are you new in town, Miss French ? The cottage may be too big for one person only."  
"I'm not going to live in Storybrooke, but just for the summer."  
"Ah. A holiday rent," he concluded.

He had an accent like Merida's so he was Scottish. Belle smiled. He rolled his Rs softly and flattened his As, and it was very seductive.  
"I don't mind renting to you but I will ask for the two months payment upfront, as well as a deposit."

The girls had anticipated those conditions - Ruby had warned them all Mr. Gold was "a bastard and an asshole, a loan shark who smells blood from miles away" - so they had all sent money to Belle since she was the first due in Storybrooke who was not Ruby.  
"It is fair," Belle said.  
"Don't you want to visit ?"  
"No need, my friend from Storybrooke said it was gorgeous, and I trust her."  
"Your friend from Storybrooke ?"  
"Ruby Lucas," she said.

His mouth flattened but he said nothing but "I see."

Mr. Gold drew a contract out from a file. After explaining the renting conditions and signing the contract that made her sole responsible in case of troubles as she was the only one of her group to sign it, he gave her the keys.  
"In case of troubles, make sure to contact me," he told her. "My contact number is there. It is the shop's, but it goes through to my cellphone if the shop is closed."

Belle took the keys and left to join Ruby to the inn. Merida and Mulan were due in the evening so they went to settle. 

***

End of August.

Ruby hadn't lied. The cottage was gorgeous. It was rented for weddings, for holidays to tourists, but it had never been lived in.  
Belle sighed.

It had been simple then. It should have stayed simple all along. 

A move on the bed stopped her heart for a second. Gold had rolled onto her side of the bed, his hand on the place she was before getting up. Thankfully, he kept sleeping. 

She left the bedroom and arrived into the living room with the open kitchen. He had lit a fire to humour her, since the place was so romantic, but now only embers were left. It was not enough to make any kind of decent lighting and since this part of the cabin faced the woods, the moon didn't reach it. 

If the bedroom was peaceful and soothing, the living room seemed haunted and menacing. She crossed it and opened the fridge to make some lighting. It was not enough to disperse the shadows and chased the ghosts of an unbound passions.

She had loved this cabin from the first time he had taken her there, and Belle knew that if she wasn't leaving in the morning, then she wouldn't feel threatened. What was between them was too raw, too intense to withstand distance. It would still feel like dying not being able to touch him, no matter the status of their relationship. A clean break up was kinder. He had always known she was meant to leave at the end of summer anyhow. 

***

Late July.

The second time Belle French saw Mr. Gold was three weeks after her arrival in Storybrooke. Despite having a lovely time with her friends, being with them all the time made her choke. She decided to have a drink on her own. 

Granny's was out of question since it was their regular place and the girls might go have a burger. The only choice was the Rabbit Hole, Storybrooke's seedy bar. 

Mr. Gold stood by the bar, staring at the barman who was working. The man was wiping glasses, breaking a sweat.  
"Mr. Gold !" Belle said, jumping on the stool by him. "Good evening !"

it would be nice to talk to someone else than the girls and Granny. Gold, however, looked at Belle like a rabbit caught in headlights.  
"Miss French," he ended up saying, after gauging her for a long time. "I trust everything goes well with you rental."  
"Very well, yes, thank you. How are you ?" 

Gold's eyes widened at being asked.  
Belle caught the barman looking at them with curiosity.  
"Hello ! I will have a long island iced tea, please," she requested to make him go away.

The barman shook his head. "We don't serve cocktails here, Miss..." he said.  
"How about a whisky ?" she asked. Belle was not a fan of whisky but from the amount of hard alcohol bottles and beers behind the bar counter, whisky would be the thing she would dislike the less here.  
"Yes, we have some nice Jack Daniels, or William Lawson, Miss."

Gold intervened.  
"Pour Miss French a glass of my Lagavulin," he ordered. 

The barman nodded fearfully and retrieved a bottle hidden behind the counter. He poured two glasses and handed one to each of them before stuttering, "I.. I will c-check if the b-boss finds the rent mon-ney, Mr. Gold !" he disappeared. 

Over the weeks, Belle had heard how much of an ass Gold was from Ruby and Granny, half of which she hadn't believed. Seeing the barman's reaction, though, made her doubt.

Mr. Gold eyed the two glasses in front of them.  
"I am sorry my presence has been forced onto you," he said.  
"Not at all," Belle replied. "Thank you for offering me your whisky."

He nodded. "You can have my glass too, this way, you have two drinks."  
"No need, one is enough. I like sipping onto it while reading," she explained. "It can take hours."  
"I'm afraid a lady like you won't get hours undisturbed."

Belle frowned in confusion.  
"I can see at least three men ready to come talk to you after I am gone," Gold explained. "This is not a coffeeshop, it's a dump."

She looked around and grinned at him slyly. "Then you should sit down and drink your whisky, Mr. Gold. Because the only man with whom I wouldn't mind having a drink with in this place is you."

Once more, the rabbit caught in headlights look made his appearance on his face.  
"Miss French..." he started to protest. He stared at her face, seemingly searching for something, before shaking his head and taking a seat on the stool by hers. He wrapped his hand around the glass. For a second, she would have sworn his hand shook.  
"How are you, Mr. Gold ?" Belle asked.  
"Fine, I guess," he replied.  
"When are you going on holidays ? Since you rent summer houses, I guess you don't during the summer."  
He cleared his throat and shifted on his stool.  
"You mentioned reading," he said firmly to move the conversation to another topic. "What do you like reading ?" 

From then, the conversation flowed like a river. Belle realized Mr. Gold was an avid reader too, and was actually genuinely interested in what she had to say. Belle loved everything that had pages, but had a very critical eye toward the position of women in society, while Gold was more non-fiction works.  
"No, I can't let you say that this man's books - I can't call him a writer - aren't sexist ! Next to no women is a protagonist and when she is, then she's the hero's reward or a damsel in distress, or both !" she argued.  
"Yes, but the man is a plot genius. He's sexist, yes, but the way he intricates the storylines and drops foreshading is nothing but talented."  
"Maybe but he is still a sexist pig who should get his butt kicked and his education made. I mean, have you read one of his sex scenes ? He ignores how foreplay works, all his heroes seemed hung like horses, breasts ignore gravity and every women get multiple orgasms from being plounded! This is not how it works !"

Silence settled on the bar during her passionate rant. Belle blushed when she realized everyone had heard.  
Gold couldn't help smiling. She realized it was the first time she saw him smile and she grinned back. He was utterly gorgeous when he smiled.  
Their glasses were empty. The barman was still hiding somewhere - she thought he was waiting to see them leave.  
"Let's go ?" she offered. "I could use a walk onto the pier."  
He stared at her before nodding.  
"Alright."

The pier was lovely, the harbour under the starry sky being quite a romantic setting. A convenience store was still open, probably for the fishing crews or the cannery workers working at nighttime.  
Belle excused herself and bought two magnums.  
"It's only fair, you offered me a drink. Here's the food."

He kept stealing awed glances at her, as if he couldn't believe she was there. Belle figured out he had quite the lonely life here. If everyone in Storybrooke was as hostile to him as Ruby and Granny, or as scared as the barman, then he had no friends. He didn't have a family either for who would accept her husband being out asking for rent this late at night and he had no band around his ring finger. 

So they ate ice creams, sitting side by side on a bench, under the full moon, looking at the sea and the boats. He walked her back to the cottage, and kissed her hand before leaving her, her heart beating faster and stronger than before. 

***

End of August.

Belle fished a spoon and a yoghourt before she sat by the open fridge to eat it. Memories flowed through her like ghosts haunted a house. Her chest was constricted and she wanted to cry. She would leave her heart with him tomorrow. 

***

Early August

Belle had felt a connection to him after this evening in the Rabbit Hole. She had sought him out the next day for a chat in his little shop. Of course, the girls had asked where she had gone, so she had invented something believable. Belle escaping for some hours to go read in peace was not anything weird to them. 

But over the next days, she had grown closer to him, spending full afternoons in his shop, chatting over tea about books. He was immensely private but she gathered he was from Glasgow, had immigrated in his twenties and enrolled into law school. He was deliciously sarcastic, his humour an oasis in this small town. They had even moved from formal naming. she was Belle to him, and he was just Gold to her. No more Mister Gold. He had categorically refused to give her his first name. She had seen it once by pure accident on an electricity bill, and she was even sure she would pronounce it properly. It started with an R and the rest was celtic gibberish where nothing sounded like it was written. So he was just Gold.

Lazying around with the girls, hiking with them felt old after 5 weeks of doing so. Yet, seeing him for hours for ten days still felt refreshing. The fact he was a delicious silver fox only added to the charm of the moment, and Belle wondered if Amazon Prime delivered sex toys on an one-day-shipping. 

Then one particular day...

"There you go," he said, pouring tea for them.  
"Thank you, Gold," Belle replied, taking the cup with a smile.

He smiled back. It seemed to her he smiled way more these days. It was such a nice sighting. She flashed him a grin back.  
"Would you like taking a walk to my cabin in the woods ?" he asked. 

Her grasp on her cup evaded her and it dropped to the floor with a loud cling.  
Gold looked at her diving to pick it up. She lifted it - a white cup with two blue lines and now a big chip.  
"I'm so sorry !" she exclaimed with horror. "It's chipped!"

Gold saw that indeed, the cup had lost some of its edge.  
"It's just a cup," he said to reassure her.  
"A valuable cup from an antique set !" Belle argued. "I'll pay you back !"  
"No need, it's my set and you're my guest."  
"Nonsense ! You wanted to sell it !"

He got down on one knee in front of her. "Not anymore..." he muttered.  
They stared at each other. Belle got caught in his whisky-brown eyes and leaned forward to gently press her mouth to his, and cup his jawline with her hand.  
He froze. Then suddenly, at the moment she was about to let go and apologize, he kissed her back.  
His hands grasped her waist, pulling her closer. They were both kneeling so the position was a little awkward but there was nothing more precious to Belle than this moment, and she wouldn't trade it -awkwardness and knees hurting- for anything. 

He pressed her brow to hers, sharing her air. He muttered compliments on her kindness, her intelligence and her beauty, lips brushing her face, as she pressed him against her.  
She was extremely turned on. 

There were many other kisses, moving from floor onto the cot, but he made no efforts to disrobe her or take things further despite being aroused too, as she could feel from time to time.  
It frustrated Belle but it was awfully old-fashionedly sweet from him.  
"So about this cabin of yours ?" she asked.  
"I... I own a cabin in the woods, by a lake. It's quiet. No one goes there. I meant to invite you for a meal... but..."  
He gave her a seductive look and Belle realized what he was implying. It was a quiet corner for the two of them. 

She smiled. "Tomorrow ? 10am at your shop ? Let's take a full afternoon."  
"You know... This... moment here... doesn't change anything," he said cautiously. "Nothing has to happen, we will do as you want."  
Belle smiled voraciously and kissed him harshly. "Something better happens or I will burst."  
He swallowed down and nodded shyly. She could see Gold was out of his comfort zone so she softened. "Nothing has to happen," she repeated, offering him an out too.  
"Oh... I want things to happen too," he muttered, looking away.  
"Good, then it's a date."  
"A date ?" 

Belle smiled at him. "Yes, of course."  
He blushed. 

***

End of August.

She was done with the yoghout. She left it on the kitchen counter, unwilling to risk him awaking from the trashbin lid closing. 

She went outside in silence, making sure the door closed properly. She had to leave the cozy nest he had created for them both. Its passionate ghosts were howling in her mind, regrets flowed through her veins like poison. 

***

Early August.

It was easy sneaking out of her friends' company. She pretended having a migraine and the girls went off onto their day in the next town for the summer festival, promising to bring churros back, and not to make too much noise when they came back in the middle of the night.

Gold greeted her in his shop with a kiss. He had a picnic basket ready and he escorted her to his car. To her delight, he rested his hand on hers and she entwined their fingers to squeeze it.

The cabin was like its owner : only reachable with difficulties, isolated and utterly charming. 

It was set by a big lake that could be seen from the bathroom and the bedroom while the living room and the kitchen faced the entrance on the wood side. 

Gold fixed them a meal, a potato salad with cold beef roast slices, and dices of pineapples for dessert. When it was finished, both of them stared at each other. Belle kept stealing glances to his waistcoat, wondering what it would look like on the floor by his underwears.  
Gold cleared his throat.  
"Maybe you could bathe in the lake while I do the dishes ?" he suggested. "It is very remote, you don't need a bathing suit if you have forgotten one."  
"Maybe you could take me to your room and ravish me ?" Belle countered with a challenging look.

He stayed silent a minute and she distinctly felt he was trying to think of a proper witty answer, one he didn't find.  
"Yes," he ended up saying. "I would like that very much."

It was no perfect answer, but for Belle, it was the most proper one he could have given her.

 

***

End of August.

Belle stood by the shore of the lake, unbothered by her nakedness. As Gold had said, it was remote and the only person around had seen it all before. Heck, he had licked it all before. The little waves licked her feet, reminding her of him once more.

***

Early August.

He took her to bed, hand in hers. He was being surprisingly brave about it. He tended to follow her lead where the two of them were concerned. She had been the one to invite him for a drink, she had found him in his den to meet him once more, she had kissed him, she had turned his picnic in the woods into a date, and she had been the one to ask him to go to bed. Now he was leading her, even as she had expected to be the one to do it. It was nice. 

He turned out to be an attentive lover who seemed to have all the time in the world for her. He nibbled on her fingers and toes to make her laugh before he licked his way to her center to make her scream with delight. 

Gold rolled under her to taste her some more as she rode his face, her fists holding tight to the bedhead.  
Then he entered her more deeply, his lips fused to hers, riding her endlessly. His thumb pressed to her clit, making her gasp each time she felt the pleasure overwhelm her. 

When they were done, Belle sighed loudly in pure relaxation. It was better than a spa and massage. He was the best she had ever had, it was as if he had been engineered to be the perfect lover for her. 

She had no bones anymore, she was like a mass of achy muscles and happy satisfaction. Yes... Yes she was happy.

She was happy in the arms of a man she would have to leave in three weeks. She would have startled if she had been able. 

Gold's breathing had slowed and deepened, and she was glad he couldn't see how her eyes had gotten teary at the idea of leaving him. Her life was in Boston. His life was in Storybrooke. She had come only one summer and in three weeks, she would have to do the inventory of the university's library for the reopening. 

She held him closer as he slept, unwilling to face the idea of an everyday life without him.

They bathed in the lake together after a nap. Belle was scared he could see how affected she was but she managed to hold it together and he said nothing about this.

They lazied the afternoon out, kissing, making love and bathing, just enjoying their time together.

However, for Belle, a ticking clock had started in her mind, counting the minutes until she had to let it go. 

 

***

End of August.

She cried in silence, releasing the heavy ball that threatened to choke her. It was utterly unfair to find the perfect man for her - smart, funny, handsome and with a mysterious dark side to tickle her mind - only to be separated by material life. She had her job in Boston, and she refused to be a kept woman in Storybrooke. She needed her independance. If she depended on him, then she would end up hating him for she would feel like she had to report to him. 

It was unfair.

***

Mid August. 

Mulan was worried for Belle. She tended to disappear for hours to read before, but now, she disappeared for full days with next to no explaination. Mulan had seen a hickey on the underside of Belle's right breast so well... A summer fling happened to anyone but the more it went on, the worse Belle looked. 

To her credit, Belle was doing a great job of hiding it. Mulan had seen it only because she worked in security so she had to be careful about bodylanguage. Merida and Ruby had seen nothing at all. 

To Mulan, Belle looked in love, and she was unhappy about it.  
"Belle," she said one evening. "Are you alright ? You look... worried."

Belle turned eyes full of fear toward her, which confirmed Mulan's suspicions.  
"I think you have someone on the side, and this is okay, I guess," Mulan added. "I wish you'd spend more time with us, but if you are happy with the someone, then good for you. Enjoy it."

Belle's face darkened and she looked at the table.  
"Yes," she replied.  
"I am here if you want to talk," Mulan offered.  
"Thank you."

Belle felt like the worst of friends, neglecting his three best friends for a man. What happened to their motto of "chicks before dicks" ? She didn't deserve Mulan who offered a shoulder and an ear, but what could she say ? That she had fallen for the town monster who happened to a sweet man with a silver tongue in every meaning of the expression ? That she had sought this person every minute of her life and she had finally found him ? That since sleeping with him once, she couldn't help being addicted to him, to his kisses, his touch, his conversation ? A dam had broken and all she could do was trying not to run to him each time she could. 

Mulan hugged Belle.  
"It's going to be okay," she muttered.

Belle wasn't so sure.

***

End of August.

Their last night together.

Both knowing it. 

Gold had even been more passionate than before, making her scream in pleasure in a way that she had never felt before. She had never felt as free as in his arms, and the thought of leaving Storybrooke left her with the impression of going to jail. 

And here she was, standing on the edge of the lake where they had had so much fun before, and crying her heart out.

"Belle ?" she heard behind her.

Of course, the irony of the universe was endless. He had had to wake up when she wasn't even in the house.  
"You're going to be cold," he said.  
She heard him step behind her and he wrapped a blanket over her shoulders before rubbing her arms up and down.

She turned around to look at him.  
"You're naked too..." she remarked.  
"I was hoping we could share the blanket, but since you are upset, you need the blanket more than I do."

It was all she could do not to cry even more. She smiled through her tears.  
"You're so sweet !"  
"You're the only person thinking so," he said.  
"I don't care, their loss."

She cupped his face. He was scared, she realized. His eyes, big and wide, hopeful and sad, just like hers.  
"I don't want to leave."  
"Then don't," he said.  
"I have my life in Boston."  
"Then I will move."  
"You love lording over Storybrooke, you love owning the town."  
"I love you more."

They faced each other.  
"I love you too," she murmured brokenly. Knowing he loved her hurt her so deeply she didn't think she would survive. "I fell in love with you, with this cabin, with your shop and even with this stupid town with its small mind!"

She wrapped her arms around him.  
"Then stay. Stay longer. Stay forever with me," Gold pleaded.  
"I can't !"  
"Why not ?"  
"Because... I can't make a living here ! I love my job, and I refuse to be your kept girlfriend, to entertain you for food and lodgings..."

Gold looked thoughtful. Belle could hear the gears in his mind turning.  
"What if you had a job ?"  
"You don't need an assistant," she said warningly. She knew him to be twisted enough to offer her a job in name and pay her handsomely for doing nothing but to keep him company.  
"What if I reopened the library ?"  
"what ?" she frowned.  
"I own an empty building that used to be the library. You could reopen it, you would be a librarian with a salary paid by the cityhall. They wanted to reopen it some years ago but no one wanted to come live in Storybrooke."

Belle looked at him in wonder.  
"I won't let you leave without a fight," he said calmly. "The library will reopen and you will be the librarian here. I promise. Well, if you want, of course."  
"Yes !" she said. "I do. I do want to stay here."

Gold nodded and held his hand up. "Then come. Tomorrow, you will miss your flight and I will take care of this."

She grasped his hand and smiled at him, a real, a true happy smile. She felt like coming home. She was home. 

 

The end.


End file.
